F1 shutdown

With just a couple of days left of F1 shutdown, I thought it was worth explaining the concept and thinking behind it.

For most F1 fans, it means counting the days until the next race. For the drivers and team personnel, it is the chance for a proper holiday and to switch off, but what does F1 shutdown actually mean, apart from a bit of peace and quiet for those who work in the sport?

The shutdown is not simply an agreement between the teams to have a holiday. It is written into the FIA regulations and every team has to observe a period of 14 consecutive days of essentially doing nothing during July and August. The teams can decided whether to take two weeks at the start or two weeks towards the end, ie: go into the break after the Hungarian Grand Prix or work a week and come back just in time for the Dutch Grand Prix.

There are several reasons, for this mandatory pause. It gives the teams a genuine break in what is an exceptionally demanding season - this year more than ever. But it is also there to control costs and, importantly, to make sure that one team cannot simply carry on developing its car while everyone else is on a much needed holiday.

So what actually stops?

Essentially, anything related to the performance of the F1 car.

Teams cannot design, research or develop new components. They cannot manufacture new parts or carry out production work related to the F1 car. Wind tunnel activity stops, as does CFD work and performance-related work on the simulator.

And it goes further than simply not switching the machines on.